Big screen debut: Emagine Batavia theater will feature the state's largest
The new operator of the former IMAX movie theater in Batavia doesn't skimp on the cinematic experience.
Emagine Entertainment is installing what's being touted as the largest CinemaScope screen in Illinois. The redesigned, 12-auditorium theater will debut a "Super EMX" movie screen - measuring a massive 96 feet wide - in time for the summer blockbuster season.
"What we're endeavoring to do for our guests is something they can't do at home," said Paul Glantz, Emagine's co-founder and chairman. "By putting a 96-foot screen in this building, I think we're making a statement that if you want to see a big, high-production value film, there's no place better than to see it on a 96-foot screen."
The Michigan-based theater chain is redeveloping the Randall Road complex with a 15,000-square-foot addition and building renovations. The company will invest "in excess of $10 million" in construction and equipment, Glantz said.
Emagine executives gave a media preview Wednesday of the huge project, an emerging bright spot for the moviegoing industry.
In a sign of the times, Steven Spielberg credited Tom Cruise with quite possibly saving "the entire theatrical industry" with "Top Gun: Maverick" during a now-viral moment from the Oscars nominees luncheon this week.
"For those who think that our industry is going away, I would simply say, well, take a look at 'Top Gun.' Take a look at the performance of 'Avatar,'" Glantz said.
Such tent-pole productions will be screened through a 4K laser projection system at Emagine Batavia. The company expects opening weekend of the supersized auditorium to feature "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
"There have been indirect competitors to our industry since the advent of television, and the world is even more competitive today than it ever has been," Glantz said. "But what's incumbent upon us is to provide our guests with an exemplary out-of-home entertainment experience. If we succeed in doing so, then that investment will be well rewarded."
To that end, auditorium-style seating is being replaced with plush, heated leather recliners and two-person "cuddle chairs" ideal for date night or parents with young kids.
"Mom and Dad can put a couple of youngsters right in that cuddle chair with them and just pay for two seats," Glantz said.
The Randall 15 theater has been closed since pandemic shutdowns. Emagine has been leasing the building since September 2020. The company is now in the process of buying the property. Emagine is set to complete the purchase on Feb. 28, Glantz said. The site was originally approved for a movie theater in 1996, Batavia records show.
"Anybody who comes in that building will not recognize it," Glantz said. "It is getting a complete facelift."
Emagine, one of the largest theater chains in the country, now operates 28 theaters in five states.